Chapter 229: Compared to solving the case, social etiquette must take a back seat

Now Yu Dazhang could confirm with certainty that the criminal must have undergone training in the military.

The reason was simple.

The final step of mental imprisonment was most commonly used in two places.

One, the military.

Two, prison.

The military used solitary confinement; prison used the small cell.

Although the names differed, the effect was the same.

Both were used to punish those who had committed faults.

Moreover, only those who had experienced it firsthand would know what that punishment tasted like.

Combined with the criminal's displayed martial skills, Yu Dazhang could basically conclude that this person had once served in the military.

"Is there still a possibility for Li Yong to be cured?" Yu Dazhang asked, looking at Ye Zhiyu.

This was a shortcut.

If Li Yong recovered and became a normal person, he could directly identify the criminal.

"In my opinion, modern medicine cannot achieve this."

Ye Zhiyu lit a cigarette, slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, and said in a detached tone:

"In his current subconscious, only some scattered memory fragments remain, and they are extremely chaotic."

"This is the worst situation I have ever seen, it is like..."

He stopped, then took a deep drag of the cigarette.

Yu Dazhang silently opened the car window, waiting for him to continue.

Smoke slowly overflowed from Ye Zhiyu's mouth, drifting into the air, forming a white haze that enveloped the interior space of the car.

His voice was low and deep:

"His current subconscious is like a piece of cooked meat."

"Curing him would be equivalent to restoring this piece of cooked meat back to raw meat."

This example was well chosen; at least Yu Dazhang understood.

Restoring cooked meat to raw meat, even if all the scientists in the world were gathered together, could not be done.

No wonder the criminal dared to return the victim.

He was very confident in his methods, knowing the victim could not be cured.

"However, there were gains this time as well."

Seeing Yu Dazhang shaking his head and sighing, Ye Zhiyu quickly comforted him:

"I have stabilized his condition; he will never exhibit self-abusive behavior again."

"Also, if we compare his ordeal to a military-level interrogation."

"Then we have essentially learned the result of the interrogation."

He did not know that Yu Dazhang had overheard the conversation inside the hospital room from outside.

After all, this had already exceeded the range of human hearing.

Ye Zhiyu wore an expression of seeking to Claim credit:

"Shao Xin, Liu Jinsong; only these two names remain in his memories."

"In his final memories, he once felt a sense of redemption toward these two people."

"Judging by the content, these two people were persecuted by him, but the specific process is missing; you can investigate the relationship between these two people and Li Yong."

Seeing Yu Dazhang's thoughtful expression, Ye Zhiyu added:

"Li Yong is currently in an unconscious state; the content spoken is entirely extracted memory fragments."

"So there is no need to doubt its authenticity."

Yu Dazhang nodded after hearing this.

In matters of psychology, he completely trusted Ye Zhiyu's abilities.

The problem was that regarding the person Shao Xin, he had previously asked Li Yong's wife, but the other party claimed she had never heard of this name.

Even the person closest to him did not know this individual.

Then this Shao Xin very likely had not been in contact with Li Yong for a long time.

What kind of person leaves a deep impression but has not been contacted for a long time?

Classmates, neighbors, childhood friends, former lovers...

These people who inevitably appear in one's life trajectory are extremely important.

Once they appear, they leave a profound impression.

But as time passes, the connection between them naturally becomes less and less.

So the next direction of investigation...

Li Yong's past!

Having figured this out, Yu Dazhang immediately took out his phone and called Ma Jian.

As soon as the call connected, he asked urgently:

"How is the investigation going?"

Ma Jian had only started the investigation this morning; it had been only half a day so far.

But Yu Dazhang believed he had already gathered quite a bit of information and formed his own judgment. Investigating people and events was originally the strength of criminal police.

As long as a target person was given, half a day was enough to collect the basic information.

"I have basically sorted out Li Yong's network of relationships and his recent activity trajectory."

On the other end of the phone, Ma Jian spoke quickly in a reporting tone:

"It's hard to imagine—Li Yong's interpersonal relationships are extremely simple, and his daily routine is quite low-key."

"His movements are basically just between home and the club—two points, one line."

"He rarely attends social events; his free time is mostly spent at home—he doesn't like going out or traveling, and he's never set foot in a bar."

"Not to mention enemies—he reportedly has never even argued with anyone."

This surprised Yu Dazhang.

He had assumed someone like Li Yong, who had no lack of money, would have a rich leisure life.

Even if not partying every night, he'd surely dabble in flirtations and indulge in luxury.

No mistake—a single word, a single character, a single detail—all correct!

After all, with the means at home, not indulging would be a waste.

But he never expected him to be this dull.

His lifestyle is almost identical to that of an office worker.

"Have you checked his past?" Yu Dazhang asked further.

"Not yet," Ma Jian replied honestly:

"I plan to organize his recent records first, then investigate his earlier history."

Step by step, from shallow to deep… this is one of the detective's investigative techniques.

Veteran detectives all do it this way—Ma Jian is no exception.

"Set aside the recent details for now," Yu Dazhang ordered:

"From now on, your focus must shift to his past interpersonal relationships."

"If you come across the names Shao Xin or Liu Jinsong, contact me immediately."

After hearing this, Ma Jian froze for two seconds.

He had already instructed him to pay attention to this person named Shao Xin.

Only half a day had passed, and now another person required attention.

How did he find out?

Ma Jian wanted to ask, but realized he couldn't bring himself to speak.

He'd been digging for hours and found not a single valuable lead—he had no face to ask.

"Don't worry," Ma Jian said firmly, promising:

"I'll get to the bottom of this as soon as possible."

After ending the call, Yu Dazhang felt Ma Jian's final tone was odd.

It was as if he'd been pumped full of adrenaline—he hadn't even pressured him.

In Yu Dazhang's eyes, this case wasn't that important.

After all, it wasn't under his direct jurisdiction; being too eager might make provincial bureau colleagues misunderstand.

But if new leads could be found, that was another matter.

Compared to solving the case, social niceties meant nothing.

This was duty—more than that, it was the very obligation of a detective.

The profession of police officer always circles back to four words…

Eliminate evil, protect the innocent!

On the way to drop off Ye Zhiyu:

"This case is complicated—there may be a need for your help later."

Now that their relationship had grown closer, Yu Dazhang spoke more directly.

Of course, boundaries and distance still had to be maintained.

Yu Dazhang looked down on the idea of leveraging favors for returns.

"No problem," Ye Zhiyu agreed readily:

"If you need me, just come find me anytime."

Yu Dazhang smiled and made a promise:

"If this case is solved successfully, I guarantee your reward will be greater than last time."

This case has been classified as a Level One criminal case in Province S—the reward for assisting in the investigation won't be small.

But that's only if the case is successfully solved.

So this was merely a pie Yu Dazhang had painted for Ye Zhiyu.

"Then thanks in advance."

Hearing there might be a reward, Ye Zhiyu's eyes lit up immediately:

"If you can help me get time off, I'm available whenever you call."

(End of Chapter)